Crossroads
by JeremyAndJane
Summary: Everyone's at a crossroads. Emily's got talent, but is eager to discard it. Aaron can't see the future further than his nose, and everyone's scared. It's senior year... can't we just freeze time? (Hotchniss/ will wait for three reviews before I continue with chapters!)
1. Prologue

Hi, all. This is my second CM fic, so I hope ya like it!

* * *

Emily Prentiss was there. Never popular, never shunned, but always just: there. Everyone knew her name, but no one knew her number. Everyone invited her to their parties, even though she never came. Emily was allowed to crack jokes at the popular girls' expense, and actually say she was kidding and them believe her. So Emily really was just there. Except during Christmas. Emily was always in the plays and the spring musicals, so when the talent show arrived in December, Emily always won. And suddenly Emily was everyone's best friend. And her freshmen year, when she sang Santa Baby? Even Damien Anderson, the senior quarterback, had tried to ask her to Homecoming. Um, no thank you. There was only one football player she'd had her eye on at the time, he was freshmen, and well… She just knew it was pointless, so she uh, _tried_ to drop it. (But back to Em) So, every year she sang something, got popular, then it died out by the time they were back from winter break. But it's senior year this year, and Emily is scared. She doesn't want to sing for forever. She doesn't want to be a lawyer, a politician, and YES mother, she does know that Harry is still single. So that's where your problem comes in.

Aaron Hotchner: star quarterback, adoring off and on boyfriend of Haley Brooks, and best friend of Derek Morgan. No, he isn't sure what's in his future. Football? Haley? Law? Aaron's always been popular. Just like he's always been Beth or Haley's boyfriend. He's always been playing football. He's always been Derek's best friend. But it's senior year, and he's… well, he doesn't know. He's always known, but now he doesn't know, so let's just throw some applications in the mail and see where it goes, right? Wrong.

Aaron doesn't _like_ being wrong.


	2. Ian 3 Calling

Emily hurried into school on Friday, laden with a number of books and still slightly disheveled from falling asleep at her desk the last night. She turned her head and her neck popped loudly, forcing her to wince. She yanked out her lanyard and placed it unceremoniously over her head, flashing her student ID at Dr. Liner, her principal. He nodded curtly and she ran to her locker as one runs through a obstacle course: with great difficulty. She finally reached her destination and impatiently twirled in the combination of her locker. She shoved her messenger bag inside, on the top shelf, allowing it to take the place of the binder she had previously yanked out. She opened the lid on her canister of pens and pencils, withdrawing one of each. She hurried to class, snagging JJ and a handful of espresso beans on her way. Jayj stumbled sleepily after her determined friend. "I refuse to be late!" Emily hissed. JJ frowned and waved at their psychology teacher as they dove into the English classroom.

"Cutting it a bit close, don't you think, Miss Prentiss? Miss Jareau?" They nodded and took their seats as the bell rang. "Alright! Time to pass up those essays!" Ms. Randell exclaimed. A chorus of groans echoed in the classroom, and Emily pulled her essay out. One, two, three, four pages; it was all there. She handed it to Bradley Clemmons, who was sitting in front of her. He turned and grinned wickedly at her. "So, Prentiss, you gonna sing for me at the talent show this year?" Emily chuckled awkwardly."Uh, we'll see." She replied, quickly picking up her novel and promptly sticking her nose in it. After all the papers were passed up, Randell picked a few to read. The whole thing was just a persuasive essay on a school appropriate topic, between two and five pages long. "Okay, Miss Jareau, Mr. and Miss Clemmons, and Miss Greenaway, you will all be reading!" Ms. Randell exclaimed with far too much enthusiasm for an English teacher in her late thirties at eight fifteen in the morning. I glanced back at JJ with a wry smile on my face. She stuck her tongue out at me as a retort. JJ stood up, smoothed her pencil skirt, and strode up to Ms. Randell, who handed her a paper. JJ proceeded to read, without enthusiasm, the reasons why everyone needed to see a psychologist or psychiatrist a few times a year to maintain good mental health. Finally all the papers were read and Ms. Randell passed out some form they needed to go to the local Shakespearian Festival next Friday afternoon. Emily slid it into a folder and got her stuff together, twisting her torso when she felt a tapping on her shoulder. "Hey," Haley Brooks began in a low voice. "So I was thinking that maybe you could help me with those two linear equations that we have to graph as our refresher homework tonight." She gave me an angelic smile and I slid my email address to her on a sheet of paper. "Just facetime me. And you might want to consult your little sister, too. Isn't she in the eighth grade?" I replied, bored. How on earth do you forget linear equations? Mr. Morrison practically pounded it into our heads in middle school.

Haley grinned widely at her. "Great! I was going to get Aaron to help me, but he's going to the football game tonight, _obviously_. Oh wait!" I smile came across her face. "I have to cheer tonight! It's K Prentiss; I'll just get it off Elle in the morning!" Finally the bell rang and Emily sprinted out of the room as fast as she could, and finally threw herself into Mr. Carpenter's room, shutting the door behind her. It was her free period, and Mr. Carpenter's, so she elected to be his aide rather than pick a second elective. Mr. Carpenter stuck his head out of his closet door and smiled warmly at her. "Hey there, Emily; how was English for you?" Mr. Carpenter asked, departing from the closet with a notebook and a pack of mechanical pencils. Emily nodded her head mechanically. "Yeah…" she replied, running her fingertips through her hair. "It was alright, I suppose." She concluded, sliding into the desk in front of his. He laughed at her in good humor, stacking papers in a certain order on his desk. "So does that mean the headache has already begun?" He questioned her mockingly, and she only laughed in response, taking a pencil off of his desk and reaching for her notebook. She set it on the top of her own desk and started writing.

_In a land where all the sparrows sing_

_In a land where love is what autumn brings_

_Is that the land that heals_

_In a world where flowers are only born and died_

_In a world where you're all drunk on Italian wine_

_It is a barren land_

And she wrote and wrote until the bell signaled her freedom. She gave Mr. Carpenter thumbs up, and then jogged to P.E. And finally the day ended, and the student body ran outside to the pep rally. Emily stopped and waited for JJ to catch up. Feeling her phone buzz in her pocket, she stopped to see who it was. JJ, not noticing that Emily had stopped, passed her with Spence and Pen, heading outside. Emily stared, dumbstruck at the contact name that glowed brightly on her phone.

**_Ian 3 Calling_**

**__**Emily shivered, but lifted the cellphone to her ear. "Um, Hello?"

* * *

Thanks for all reviews and feel free to review now! Sorry it took so long to finish!


	3. Treehouse Blues

Okay, this may be a bit confusing with the whole "adding characters because I think the relationships are hot as heck" idea I have rolling around right now. But just to go ahead and inform you: Ian moved to Pilgrimage, Virginia (where the story takes place) with his mom, dad, and older brother three years ago. Emily and Ian fell into a weird, complicated, mostly physical relationship, while JJ had a crush on Ian's brother, Harris. Ian, Harris and their parents just moved back to Ireland over the summer. Ian has been… less than faithful, to say the least.

Thanks for following and reviewing!

"Hello, love. I trust you're doing well in my absence." Ian replied easily, wrapping his arm around some girl's tiny waist. "Great!" Emily responded enthusiastically. "I mean, I miss you, darling, but things are fine." Ian smiled into the phone as the blonde girl giggled and slid onto his lap. "Emily, love, I miss you babe, but we're long distance now..." Emily raised an eyebrow, and attempted to prepare herself for the words to come out of the speaker on her phone. "Yes, Ian?" Emily was able to keep the nervousness out of her voice as she spoke the words timidly into her phone. "Love, I'm afraid we might be best off taking a break, you know?" Ian yawned quietly, nibbling on the girl's ear, eliciting a giggle and a "Stop it, Ian!" Emily heard the girl cry out playfully in the background, wiping a tear from her eye, she strode outside of the school quickly. "Yes, Ian, of course." Her tone turned from romantic to businesslike as she walked swiftly past the pep rally and to her car.

Ian hung up on her and Emily laid her head on the horn, letting it blare out loudly. She put her vehicle in reverse and pulled out of the parking lot, stopping at a curb along the side to send a message to Jayje to tell her to come to their place after the pep rally with Pen. She got a K in reply and sighed, pulling back out on the road and making her way home. Emily clicked the small button on her dashboard that was programmed to open her garage door. She put the car in park and closed the door. Dropping her keys on the oval plate in the front hall, she darted up the stairs to discard her bag and notebooks. Opening her window, she climbed out on the ledge and used her arms to catch herself as she dived into the tree house that had been left beside the house when it was bought. The inside was covered in pictures of random things and people, a small nightstand, a wooden pallet covered with a tablecloth, some fluffy pillows, and three sleeping bags piled in a corner. Emily moved the pallet to the corner, laid out two sleeping bags and put a pillow with each, then tossing the rest of the pillows on the pallet. She rested on a sleeping bag just as JJ came in with Pen behind her. They tossed their stuff by the nightstand and plopped down comfortably.

"Guess who decided I was important enough to call today?" Emily said sarcastically. JJ sighed knowingly and Penelope shook her head with a scornful look on her face. "Let me guess..." JJ said angrily, "Ian Doyle?" Pen reached up behind her for the picture of herself, Jennifer, Spencer, Emily and Ian and a pair of scissors. "Do you mind?" Penelope asked. Emily shook her head no, and Penelope began to cut Ian out of the picture. "What exactly did he say?" JJ asked curiously. Emily frowned, frustrated. "A bunch of crap about how we were both doing, then all of the sudden he just tells me he thinks we ought to take a break. And there was some girl with him, too." JJ rolled her eyes. _Typical Ian behavior_, she thought_, always thinking he can play with Emily like she's a toy._ Jennifer couldn't help from asking, "So, do you think Harris was with him? They're both total pigs, you know." Emily raised an eyebrow. "No, Harris wasn't with him." Emily replied. "But I was told that he'd gotten back together with some college girl he left behind. I'm sorry, JJ." JJ's face fell slightly, though she shook it off. "It's fine. Who cares about the Doyle boys when we all have each other?" Jayje stood, the top of her head barely brushing the roof of the small hideout. Penelope nodded eagerly, setting down the scissors and reaching for the lighter she knew to be in the nightstand's drawer. And together, they watched Ian Doyle tiny body burn into oblivion. When it was over, everyone was silent. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Hey!" someone called out. "Emily! It's me, Will!"


	4. Lookin' Good, Wackos

Thanks for reviews and whatnot! Hope ya like it!

* * *

Emily sighed and opened the thin wooden door and saw Will LaMontagne standing out on the small lined the tree house. He had a novel, a notebook, and a mechanical pencil in his arms as he leaned cockily on the door frame. Will was new, but since school was about a month in, he new how things worked and found out immediately that anyone who was anyone went to his next door neighbor for homework help. Will gave her a lopsided grin and straightened his jersey. "I'm about to head back up to the school, but I was hoping you could tell me what Miss Lemper meant about this question. Emily sighed and glanced at the page he was holding up, noticing his eyes glance down JJ's shirt when she stooped down to get a look at it.

"Look." Emily ran a hand through her hair. "All she's asking is whether or not you understand the family trees and the love maps for Hamlet. And if you don't get it, why don't you. She only went over it a few thousand times, Will." JJ stood up straight and Will gave them both big grins. "Thanks, ladies. Y'all been a big help." And with that, he jumped down from the tree, steadied himself easily, and swaggered back across the street. Emily slammed the door after they all stepped out onto the porch. Penelope and JJ sighed. "We brought clothes!" Penelope said energetically. "Do you guys want to get dressed for the game?" Emily and JJ quickly agreed and they pulled themselves back into Emily's room. Emily scrunched her nose up. "Aw, man. It's homecoming, isn't it?" JJ nodded sadly and Penelope "Yeep"ed in excitement.

"Oh, boy." JJ muttered as Penelope rifled through a duffel bag full of clothes. Emily had already yanked out a pair of dark skinny jeans and a size too big "Fighting Pilgrims" sweatshirt. Penelope shook her head. "It won't do, Em! Strip! I have the perfect idea." Before you knew it, they were making their way to the student section. JJ wore a three quarter length sleeved dress. It was a rich purple. Tight in the upper torso, it flared at her waist. Penelope had paired it with black tights and black wrap boots. For jewelry she wore only a sparkling silver pendant. Penelope had on (of course) a hot pink mini-dress that stopped mid-thigh. Emily, however, was the show stopper. She wore a strapless black dress that was flowy and went to just above mid-thigh, and Penelope had given her a pair of fishnets and some black stilettos. Emily had only gold bangles for accessories and some deep red lipstick served for the flashy part of her makeup.

Haley Brooks, Beth Clemmons, Ashley Seaver, Lauren Reynolds and Elle Greenaway stood in the front row of the cheerleaders, since they were all seniors. Beth and Lauren waved as they walked past, while Ash attempted to get some water and Elle and Haley stared at them, wide eyed at how good the wackos looked tonight.


End file.
